Health Outcomes and Policy Effects (HOPE) Laboratory
Our Team
The People Behind The Progress
Meet the researchers advancing pediatric care through data, collaboration, and innovation. Together, they translate complex insights into meaningful clinical and policy improvements that enhance outcomes for children and families.
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Principal Investigator
The Principal Investigator provides leadership, guidance, and strategic direction for the pediatric research study. They oversee study design and execution while ensuring scientific integrity, regulatory compliance, and participant safety.
Lorraine Kelley-Quon, MD, MSHS, FACS, FAAP
Dr. Lorraine Kelley-Quon is a pediatric surgeon at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery and Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and cell biology at the University of California, San Diego, and completed her MD and general surgery training at the University of California, Los Angeles followed by a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. During residency, she completed the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and obtained a Master’s in Health Services Research from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Dr. Kelley-Quon’s research goal is to optimize pediatric surgical healthcare delivery and translate health services research into health policy. Her current research focuses on understanding the health implications of prescription opioid use for infants, children, and adolescents. Her work has been published in high-impact journals including JAMA Pediatrics and JAMA Surgery and Pediatrics, and has been featured in The New York Times, Kaiser Health News, Parents Magazine, Time, and Medscape.
Lab Members
Shadassa Ourshalimian, MPH
Shadassa Ourshalimian received his bachelor’s degree in biology at the Southern University of Oregon and completed a master’s of public health in environmental epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. As a health services researcher, he has focused his career on understanding addiction and ways to implement harm reduction from a medical and policy perspective. Shadassa is committed to finding innovative ways to help mitigate public health problems through objective research and data analysis.
Banan Otaibi, MD
Dr. Banan Otaibi is a current general surgery resident at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY and her medical degree at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA. She is pursuing a career in pediatric surgery and her research interests include trauma and injury prevention, education, and improving health outcomes in pediatric patients.
Nikhita Datar, MS, CCRP
Sr. Research Coordinator
Nikhita Datar is the senior clinical research coordinator (CRC) in the Division of Pediatric Surgery. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology and Drug Development from the University of Southern California and completed her Master of Science in Management of Drug Development from the USC School of Pharmacy, Department of Regulatory and Quality Science. Prior to joining the HOPE Lab, Niki worked as a project assistant at the USC Institute for Addiction Science, where she developed a passion for substance-use and adolescent opioid prescribing research. Alongside her work in the HOPE Lab and with Dr. Kelley-Quon, Niki provides clinical research support to various lab groups and research projects across the division, including the trauma research group.
Shruti Gundu
Shruti is a clinical research coordinator for the Department of Pediatric Surgery. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and completed her Honors in Cognitive Sciences researching heart-brain interactions in older adults during sleep and health outcomes. She is passionate about combining her interests in health policy, research, and community service to support quality healthcare, policy interventions, and population outcomes. She hopes to pursue medical education and research and serve vulnerable populations and promote community education and engagement with healthcare.
Gillian Li
Gillian Li is a current second-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a minor in Law and Public Policy from USC. She is currently interested in family medicine and plans to pursue a career focused on helping underserved populations and advocating for health polices that can improve health outcomes for vulnerable communities.
Post-Doc Pediatric Surgery Fellow Alumni
The HOPE Lab’s Post Doctoral Pediatric Surgery Research Fellows are individuals pursuing advanced research training in the midst of surgical residency with the goal of becoming pediatric surgeons. They help lead many research projects in health outcomes analysis, database analysis, and quality improvement.
Ruby Barq, MD, MS
Richmond, VA
(2023-2025)
Olivia Keane, MD, MS
Atlanta, GA
(2022-2024)
Marjorie Odegard, MD
Minneapolis, MN
(2021-2023)
Jenna Lee, MD
New Brunswick, NJ
(2024-2026)
Driving Impact Through Published Research
The HOPE Lab’s publications reflect a commitment to advancing pediatric health through rigorous, evidence-based research. By sharing findings in leading peer-reviewed journals and academic forums, the lab contributes to national conversations on clinical outcomes, pain management, and opioid stewardship—helping inform better practices and policies that improve care for children and adolescents.
Advancing Safer, Smarter Pediatric Care!
